TOTAL WAR WIKI

Ajinkyatara (ETW building)

From its location near the city of Satara this great fortress dominates the surrounding area.

It is located on top of an imposing mountain, making any attempt to take it difficult indeed. Even a long siege would be a difficult proposition, as the fort is well supplied with water. The fort itself controls the surrounding countryside completely: no foe can move in southern Maharashtra without being observed.

The fort was taken by Shrimant Shahu Sambhaji Raje Bhonsle Chhatrapati Maharaj (1682-1749), the fourth ruler of the Maratha Empire. Shahu Chhatrapati was a survivor, of both Mughal captivity and a Maratha civil war. He was freed at the end of the War of 27 years (1681-1707) and managed to bring stability and careful expansion to the Marathas. Given that he had spent most of his childhood as an honoured prisoner of the Mughals, his efforts are creditable indeed.